Mike Pate
The Robson Ranch Texas Toss Cornhole League conducted its Spring 2025 playoffs in May in the Cimarron gym. Matches were competitive and close as teams fought through a three-round, best-of-three-games, single-elimination bracket. When the final bag was thrown, the Sand Baggers, captained by Larry Walker, beat the odds and claimed their first Texas Toss World Championship, topping each of their Division A playoff opponents. Meanwhile, in Division B, Mamas & Papas, captained by Bob Porter, took on and beat all comers, earning their first Division B title.
To reach the Division A finals—dubbed Super Bag Bowl XVI—seventh seed Sand Baggers defeated second seed Team Leprecorn in a close quarterfinal match and then upset the top seed Air Mailers in an exciting semifinal duel. In the finals, they met third seed Big Tex Toss, captained by Mike Kowalski. To arrive at Super Bag Bowl, Big Tex Toss prevailed over intra-division rival Corn with the Wind in the quarterfinals and dispatched fourth seed Fire in the Hole in a tight semifinal contest.
The games in Super Bag Bowl were oh so close. The Baggers duo of Pete Steger and Ford Roberson broke out to an 8-point advantage at the end of the fourth inning and staved off a late-inning comeback rally by Big Tex Toss to narrowly win 14-12. Game two was tight until the fifth inning when Sam Lane broke out with 7 points to give the Sand Baggers a 9-point lead going into the sixth. His back to the wall, Harold Codianne of the Baggers rose up and exploded for 8 points in the top of the sixth to whittle the lead down to 1. But that’s as close as Big Tex Toss would come. Game (16-15), match, and championship went to the Sand Baggers!
After the win, Sand Baggers’ captain Walker said, “We’ve got great team members! They practiced hard all season, and it’s great to see that effort bear fruit.”
In Division B action, second seed Wizards of Toss, captained by Steve Stark, enjoyed a first-round bye and defeated eighth seed Corn Baggers in semifinal action to reach the finals. There they encountered fourth seed Mamas & Papas, captained by Bob Porter. Mamas & Papas reached the finals by overtaking seventh seed Swishers in the quarterfinals and dispatching sixth seed Blind Squirrels in straight games in the semifinals.
Mamas & Papas took their semifinal momentum into the title match against Wizards of Toss, winning the first game 16-9, thanks to late inning scoring by George Reinhart and Bob Porter. The Wizards fought back valiantly in game two and led the entire way through the fifth inning, fashioning a 6-point lead. Then lightning struck. Mamas & Papas’ Larry Brown tied up the game after six innings and then secured the game, match, and title in exciting overtime play. Accepting the trophy, Mamas & Papas captain Porter remarked, “Our championship title is a direct result of practicing and having fun!”